Rotary draw works



4 I 2 May 17 1927. L H. KEIM ET AL 1 6 8,847

ROTARY DRAW WORKS FiledlJune 29. 1925 wflvm A v fluo: nu* d Patented May 1,7, 1927.

UNITED STATES LESTER '.E. 'REEL F PASADENA, AND RICHARD E. KLINE, 0F ALHAMBRA, GALI- FOBNIA, ASSIGNORS T0 OIL WELL SUPPLY COMPANY, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFOB- v NIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

ROTARY DRAW WORKS.

Application mea :une as, i925. smal m. 40,415.

This invention relates vto drum-driving mechanism, and particularly to the type of drum-driving mechanism em loyed in the drilling or operation of wels such as "oil 6 wellsy and commonly known as a drawworks With 'the increase in the average ldepth at which wells such as oil wells are now being drilled, it has been found that the two- 10 s eed drawworks hitherto generally emp oyed does not provide suicient speed changes for efliciently conducting the drilling operations. Accordingly, the well drllling art now requires a rotary drawworks l5 having three different driving speeds with each engine speed. 0

An object of the present invent-ron 1s to provide a simple construction apphcable to the drawworks mechanisms now in use and `wi`thoutl the necessity `of increasing its length, which will adapt the same for developing three driving speeds for the drum with each engine speed.

Another object of the present invention 1s to provide such drawworks with three driving s eeds in a construction so arranged that the ower driving speeds are disposed in close proximity to the drum.

Another object of the present Invention is to rovide a three-speed rotary drawworks in w ich each of the different drive connec- 'tions of the drawworks is provided .with a clutch located upon the drum shaft of the drawworks, whereby each of such clutches may be readily provided with a control located at a common point.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a description of a preferred form of rotary drawworks embodying the invention, for which purpose reference is made to the ac. companying drawings, in which 'a preferred example of a rotary drawworks embodying the invention is disclosed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partially in section; and f Fig. 2 is an end elevation of Fig. 1. Referring to the. drawings, the Arotary drawworks there illustrated comprises 'a l drum shaft A1 carrying a drum 2 rigidly keyed thereto. `Said drum shaft 1 is mounted by three vertical posts, of which 3 and 4 are end posts and 5 an intermediate post.

The drum 2 is located between the posts'4 and-.5. In the upper part of the frame, a line shaft or driving shaft 6 is mounted, its axis beingdisposed parallel'to the axis of the drum shaft 1. Preferably, in order to balancel the weight of the posts, the line shaft 6 is mounted upon the opposite side of the posts to that of the drum 1.

In accordance with the present invention, there Vis provided a low-speed drive connection between the shafts, including a member rigid on one of the shafts and a loose member on the other, witha clutch for driving through the low-speed connection at will.

There is also provided an intermediatespeed driving connection between the shafts including a member rigid upon one of the shafts and a loose member on the other shaft with its corresponding clutch for drifving through the intermediate Speed at will, and there is also provided a high-speed drive connection between the shafts including a member rigid on one of the shafts and a' loose member on the other shaft with its corresponding clutch for driving through the hgh-speed connection, and there is also provided a means corresponding to each clutch for operating the sameindependently.

The invention is directed to novel means by which these dilferent drive connections may be incorporated in a rotary drawworks to the best advantage so as to provide a three-speed drawworks without increase in length over that ordinarily required for the two-speed `drawworks, and to provide for the simplified control of the different s eeds and otherl devices actuated by the rawworks. and to provide such an apparatus that the load placed thereonwill be best distributed and taken upon the diferent supporting posts of the frame.

To derivesuch advantages, the apparatus is provided with a low-speed driving member, preferably in the form jof a rigid sprocket wheel 7- on the line or drivmg shaft 6, which is connected by a sprocket chain' 8 with an aligning low-speed sprocket wheel 9 whichis loose on the shaft 1. The

sprocket wheel 9 is adapted to be made rigid with the shaft 1 through engagement with its clutch 10, which clutch is adapted to be aoI loo

operated by a lever 11. The clutch 10 is preferably a kick-out clutch, vthat is, one;4

adapted to be automatically thrownH o ut of driving relation if the drum shaft '1 is the drum 2 and adjacent endpost 4, and the other end of the drum 2 is mounted closely adjacent the intermediatepost 5.

The intermediate drive connection of the apparatus is preferably provided by an intermediate-speed sprocket wheei 12 whlch is connected by a sprocket chain 13 with an aligning intermediate speed sprocket wheel 14 which is loose on the shaft 1, this driving connection being preferably disposed be# tween the intermediate post and the end post 3 and closely adjacent the intermediate post so that bothof the lower speed drlvln connections for the drum 2 are -mounte close to the drum.

The high-speed drive connection is provided by a high-speed sprocket wheel 15 rigid on the line shaft 6 and connected by a sprocket chain 16 with an aligning high- 'speed sprocket wheel 17 which is loose on the drum shaft 1. This high-speed driveconnection is dis osed between the intermediate post 5 an the end post 3, and preferably closely adjacent such end post 3. The high and intermediate speed drive connec-v tions are rovided with clutches 18 and 19 respective y, mounted on the drum shaft 1 and between the sprocket wheels 17 and 14, the clutch 19 preferably being ofthe kickout type. These clutches 18 and 19 are each provided with a lever 20 connected with a rod 21 with a weight 22 normally fmaintainf ing the clutches in the released position, and adapted to be actuated to the closed position by a foot pedal 22, the foot pedals being extended into adjacent operating positions. 'Each of the sliding parts ofclutches 18 and 19 are mounted 4upon a single bushing on the drum shaft 1 and are adapted for independent operation. The shaft 6 is .is adapted to be connected to the shaft by a clutch 27. This clutch being of a novel construction, in that it is mounted upon a4 hub or extension of the sprocket wheel 15 construction which materially aids in making the apparatus compact and permits the 'preferred construction.

use of both the rotary drive sprocket wheel-V v and the high and intermediate sprocket drive connections for the drumv 2 bein located between the. intermediate post 5 an end post 3.. rThe clutch 27 is adapted to be operated by a lever 28 connected by a rod 29 to a hand lever 30 extended adjacent the other levers of the apparatus.

The drum 2 is indicated as provided with the usual brake bands 31, these being controlled by a lever 32of the usual or any lVith the drawworks of the construction just described, during normal operation, each of the. sprocket, chains 8, 13 and 15 are continuously driven during the drivin the driving or line shaft 6. The spee vat ent upon which of such driving shafts are made to drive the drum 1,- the apparatus being so designed that the drum shaft can be brought t?) progressively higher speeds by actuation of the drive speed clutches in series, the clutch 10 being first brought into driving engagement to connect the low.- speed drive connection with the drum 2, the clutch 19 then being brought into driving connection to connect the intermediate s eed driving connection with the drum 2, w ich operation, accelerating the speed of the drum 2 and drum shaft 1, automatically causes the clutch 10 to kick out. Then the high-speed drive connection can be brought into operationfby actuation of the clutch 18, causing the clutch 19 to be kicked out and which the drum 2 is thusactuated is dependthe drum 2 may then be actuated at the highest speed. It is also seen that by the drawworks herein described, each of the different clutches for the different drive connections are mounted'upon the drum Shaft position. adapted to be continuously driven by means The rthree-speed drawworks herein described may be readily constructed from the general type of two-speed drawworks hitherto employed simply by the addition of the high-speed drive connection' at the end of the drawworks most remote from the drum 2.- This drive connection is also added in such a manner as to permit the low and in.,- termediate speed drive connections to be disposed in the closest proximity to the drum 2, and thus provides a drawworks best adapted to handling the higher loads applied thereto when necessary to employ the lower driving speeds.

While the rotarv drawworks of this invention is well adapted for accomplishing the/purposes and objects thereof, it is to be understood that various modifications in the details of construction of the parts may be 105 1 in place of part of such clutches being made without departing from the spirit of the invention. not limited to the specific embodiment described herein but is of the scope set vforth in the appended claims.

l. In a. three-speed rotary drnwworks, the combination of n. frame having end posts and an intermediate post. .and mounting a. drive sha-ft, a drum :haft on the opposite side of the posts, the drum shaft carrying a drum, :1nd n low-speed drive connection between the drum und adjacent end posi'. and intermediate und high speed drive. connections located between the intermediate post und the other end post, one of said last named drive connections including a sprocket wheel provided with n hub monntinzgr :i clutch, and n drive sprocket mounted on the line shaft between the high and intermedi- :ite speed drive connections and adapted to be driven by said last. mentioned clutch.

2. In a. device of the class described, the combination of a.v driving shaft and a.

.sprocket wheel rigid thereon and a. sprocket and the invention is therefore wheel loose thereon, the rigid sprocket wheel having a hub, :i clutch shdably mounted on said hub and engageable with the loose sprocket wheel to form a drive connection between `said sprocket wheel and driving shaft.

3. Tn n rotary drawworks, a frame having end posts and an intermediatepost, a drum mounted upon a shaft lcarried by the posts and a drive shaft carried b v the posts with n drive connection and its clutch between the drum and adjacent end post, and a high and intermediate speed drive connection locted between thel other end post/:1nd intermediate post., each provided with clutches disposed between the drive connections, an additional driving sprocket. mounted on the drive 'shaft between said driving connections, and a clutch mounted on a. sprocket wheel of one driving connection for releasably engaging said additional driving sprocket.

Signed at Los Angeles, Cal., this 20 day of June, 1925.'

LESTER H. KEIM. RICHARD E. KLINE. 

